Updated
Labour leader Joseph Muscat this morning reiterated calls for the resignation of Education Minister Dolores Cristina over the suspension of EU funds for education programmes.
He said that while the minister was pleading ignorance of the circumstances leading to the EU decision, she had attended a meeting on the evolving situation last November.
In a speech at the Hotel Phoenicia ballroom, Dr Muscat also said that despite a promise by the prime minister of a cost cap for the new hospital, a parliamentary question last week revealed a cost over-run of €25.6 million.
Dr Muscat in his speech reflected on the two years since he was elected Labour leader.
He said that after the general election and his appointment to the party leadership, the biggest achievement of the party was its undisputed unity.
Dr Muscat said the party had embarked on a road aimed at giving the people hope and alternatives for the current state of affairs in the country. The election was a means to an end and not an end in itself. The people were responding, as shown in the unprecedented European Parliament elections a year ago.
Dr Muscat said supporters should not believe those who believed the PL would win the next general election hands down. It would be a keenly fought contest and the party needed to prepare for it by opening its doors to everyone, ignoring their past.
He said that the differences between the two main political parties were becoming more pronounced. Just this week, a Nationalist MP let slip that what happens in people's bedrooms was government business as well. He then tried to remedy matters, but for the PL, the people's private lives were private. One could also remember how the PN tried to introduce a system where people's complaints to ministries were relayed to the party. In contrast, the Data Protection Commissioner had just declared that the PL did not process personal details on individuals.
The Labour leader said that among the party's main aim was to give an equal opportunity to success to everyone, independently of financial means.
Over the past two years the PL had also brought sustainable environment and consumer affairs to the top of its agenda.
The consumer, including individuals and businesses, should be considered as being consumers in the way the government was run. At present, SMEs were only given lip service and red tape, instead of the red carpet. A case in point was how bank costs were undermining businesses, but the government was not trying to do anything about it. This was a government of the few, not the manner. That was shown, for example, in the way how the Xlendi road would be rebuilt over the summer, because that was what was more convenient to the contractor, even though summer was the peak tourist season.
Dr Muscat insisted that taxpayers' money could not continue to be squandered. In 2007, a year before the election, the Prime Minister went on television to boast that the new hospital cost had been fixed at Lm136 million and not a cent more. Yet in reply to a parliamentary question last week it was revealed that the hospital cost was Lm11 million (€25.6m) more than Dr Gonzi had promised. And the cancer centre still had to be built.
The leader of the opposition said it was difficult to believe that the prime minister had the family at heart, when economic conditions, particularly the utility bill, were such, that many of them could not make ends meet. It was unacceptable that the power and water bills here were the fifth highest in Europe, according to purchasing parity calculation.
Dr Muscat said the government had said a lot about controlling the cost of medicine, going so far as to threaten to import medicines itself, but those had only been empty words. The PL felt that companies which persisted in abuse should be named and shamed.
What was not empty, Dr Muscat, was talk by the people about corruption. He reiterated PL proposals to fight corruption, including an amnesty to catch the source of the problems. The priority was the 'sharks' not an individual who accepted a €5 tip, Dr Muscat said.
GOVERNMENT 'DUTY' TO FINE BWSC
Dr Muscat said power station contractor BWSC had been obliged to declare in its tender whether it was involved in corruption cases, but it resulted that no such declaration was made.
The PL had evidence, from public documents, that five BWSC subcontractors were involved in cases of corruption in other countries. BWSC had failed to make a truthful declaration. Because of this failure, in terms of the contract, it should be fined 10% of the contract, or €20 million.
Would the government do its duty, or as it weak with the strong?
On the alleged attempted bribery in the superyachts privatisation process, Dr Muscat said the governemnt was on a witch-hunt for the whistle-blowers. The Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the general secretary of the PN had a lot to answer for with regard to their actions when the allegations were made.
Certainly, inquiries should not be held only when the Opposition spoke up.
Labour MP Joe Mizzi had, once more, revealed a network of irregularities at the transport authority. At first he was ridiculed by Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt. Action was only taken when Mr Mizzi gave names and ID card numbers. And then Mr Mizzi's allegations were found to be true.
CRISTINA ATTENDED EU PROGRAMMES MEETING IN NOVEMBER
In the case of EU funds for education programmes, 564 students and organisations had suffered - including the Inspire Foundation. But despite this gross irresponsibility no political responsibility had been shouldered.
Education Minister Dolores Cristina had a lot to answer for, Dr Muscat said. It she knew what was going on and did not act, that was wrong. But it was also serious if she did not know what was going on.
Dr Muscat referred to the inquiry concluded last week and asked how important figures in the management of the EU programmes, including the minister's son, did not figure.
The inquiry report showed that the Cabinet Secretary convened a meeting about this issue on 17 November. Those present included the minister herself. So how could she claim she was not aware of what was going on?
If the minister was not going to resign, the Prime Minister's only alternative was to remove her, Dr Muscat said. This was an issue of credibility and trust in children's education.
The Opposition leader said he also hoped this issue would lead the government to strengthen its various departments involved in the management of EU funds.